Reflecting on the rails

This week I spent several days in the Northwest, visiting my 93 year old mom in Issaquah, WA and seeing friends in Seattle and Portland. I took the train from Seattle to Portland, a way of traveling that always feels like an adventure. Instead of the lines and complications of the airport or the long cramped feeling of the car, a train is a chance to sit and think, watching the scenery passing by, reading, making forays to the cafe car, and people watching. Of course, on the East Coast and especially in Europe, trains are a more standard mode of travel. There's much less opportunity for riding trains on the West Coast, but I'm immensely grateful that the system wasn't dismantled entirely here. Even on a shabby Amtrak train full of all sorts of folk, it feels somehow more civilized and more democratic, all at the same time. And if one resists the free WiFi - which is mercifully spotty - there's plenty of space and time for quiet contemplation. My mom is on hospice; one friend is dealing with a cancer diagnosis; kids are leaving home and transitions are happening; there's a lot to reflect on. And if the sky had been just a bit less hazy with smoke, I would have seen Mount Rainier. One small way to stop and be grateful for this world we live in. I hope this summer is giving you moments to do so as well.